


Astraea Surana: Character Sketches

by lunacchiii



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Grey Warden Alistair (Dragon Age), Grey Wardens, Multi, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:53:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23609440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunacchiii/pseuds/lunacchiii
Summary: A compilation of scrabbles based off of Tumblr and Reddit prompts of my canon Warden, Astraea Surana. I love her a lot and I love writing about her.(Honestly I don't think this is even a good read for everyone, I just want a place to dump all my character development stuff lmaooooo)
Relationships: Alistair/Female Surana (Dragon Age), Cullen Rutherford/Female Surana
Kudos: 1





	1. Reddit Prompt 1 + 2

**Prompt 1: What was your OC's upbringing (Alienage, Circle, Orzammar, etc) like? How did that affect their worldview?**

Warden Astraea Surana's life began in the Denerim alienage. Her mother was Delia Surana, a seamstress, and her father was a skillful and mysterious elven apostate who had to flee Ferelden even before Astraea was born, and is (presumably) dead by the time Astraea gets sent to the circle. Her magical abilities manifested at a very early age. When she was six years old, her newly manifested magic accidentally lit a neighbor's chicken coop on fire--and that was when she was sent to the circle. It was bittersweet for her mother, Delia. From spending time with Astraea's father, she knew that magic was a beautiful, powerful force to be reckoned with--a gracious gift from the Maker. It was the only piece of her father that Astraea had left. But she also knew the risks and dangers of magic...all the chaos it could potentially bring. She was quite distraught initially, having to part with her young daughter so suddenly--but she knew deep in her heart that it was the best outcome for both of them. Astraea would at least have the chance to learn how to harness her abilities properly, and as they barely had any money (they were alienage elves after all), it was one less mouth to feed.

As an elf in the Fereldan Circle, Astraea didn't experience a whole lot of racism (since everyone else was pretty much torn from their families, both humans and elves--so you know, all the kids are kind of the same in there). Jowan, who has been at Kinloch Hold a little while before Astraea, was assigned to show her around. They immediately hit it off, and Jowan has been her close friend ever since. As they grew up alongside each other, Astraea proved to be studious and hardworking, and grew to be particularly adept in elemental and healing magic. She seemed to be generally well-liked among her peers (though quite a few nasty rumors did arise about her being a boot-licker to the senior enchanters, or some people observed that she seemed too oblivious to the harsh reality of Circle life.) Teenage Jowan was her stubborn, break-all-the-rules sidekick. They didn't always agree with each other (Astraea does get a bit sick of Jowan's behavior, but she puts up with it anyways), but they remained close friends nevertheless. When Cullen was assigned to Kinloch Hold and met Astraea for the first time, he was enamored by her calmness and her way with words. Astraea, too, noticed the strong-willed, strapping young templar. Of course, they would never have gotten the chance to act on those feelings (Both of them were very hormonal teens, so I mean...crushes were bound to happen.)

Despite being seen by others as oblivious to the harsh realities of life as a Circle mage, she knew in her heart ever since she set foot in Kinloch Hold that the system wasn't morally correct. All her life, she yearned to see the bustling Antivan markets, the grand marble palaces of Orlais--places that she could only visualize through books. She knew that freedom wasn't seen as a mage's right. That was why she pushed herself so hard academically in hopes of becoming a respected enchanter in order to propose changes to the system. Astraea, at her core, is an idealist. Years of occasional self-doubt and hostile comments directed towards her has made her a very diplomatic person. She would never resort to violence unless provoked--and she can get pretty scary once provoked (she mastered fireballs and lightning bolts for a reason, you know.)

**Prompt 2: What are your OC's greatest challenges in their relationship with their LI? Do they have a hard time listening, ugly fight, refuse to fight, throw their socks on the floor, etc? How do they work through these challenges (or do they)?**

Astraea and Alistair were pretty much soulmates. That doesn't mean they don't get in fights or anything, but there was a deep, sort-of mutually understood connection that began through their shared burdens as the remaining Grey Wardens of Ferelden. They were platonically, romantically, and sexually in-tune, so to say. In short, they're big ol' nerds in love, heads over heels for each other. But the only time things got tense between them was after the events of Awakening, where things calmed down for a while. Astraea started to doubt all the decisions she had made so far. She asked Alistair, "How different would our lives be if you became king?", which startled him greatly, and he asked her what was wrong. She then replies, "Would things be easier...for everyone? For...us? I...I just don't get why I can't be with you. As an equal." (in reference of her lack of social status as a mage and an elf.) Alistair then takes her in his arms and holds her, and reassures her. "Look, I'm happy being a Grey Warden here with you. You did not make the wrong choice."


	2. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brief wall of text about Astraea's parents!

  * **Delia Surana:** Astraea's mother, a brown-haired, green-eyed humble little seamstress who lives in Denerim’s alienage. She met her husband Arlan at age 20 while he was on a job and was in the city. Ended up giving Astraea over to the Ferelden Circle of Magi when she was six. She is a distant cousin of the Tabris family (city elf origin). Makes clothes for the alienage orphans; commissioned time to time by human upper-class/nobility in Denerim for alterations and repairs. Was taught to sew and knit and cure leathers by her Dalish mother. When Arlan died, some of his work friends came to Denerim to tell her the news.



  * **Arlan Surana:** Astraea’s black-haired, blue-eyed father. Born and raised Dalish; received blue-colored Dirthamen Vallaslin as his rite of passage. As a teen, he was next in line to be clan keeper. However, his clan was ambushed by Tevinter slavers. All but Arlan were killed in a bloody firefight for their lives; he was the only one kept alive because his magic was valuable and he was a young, healthy and able-bodied elf. He escaped the slavers with the help of some mercenaries who happened to be in the area. They offered him money and a place in their ranks after seeing the full extent of his abilities. As the years flew by, he grew to become very connected to this mercenary group (were more than business—they became his new family). Arlan met Delia when he was 23, while on a job in Denerim in 9:12 Dragon and they fell in love instantly. He was mostly a decent father; Merc salary was originally for his own use but after he got married and Astraea came along, he intended it to be for the family to get out of the alienage and move elsewhere. He was pretty involved in raising Astraea in infancy (except when he went on long missions away from Denerim). He eventually dies during one of his more dangerous missions by enemy hands, when Astraea was 3 years old. Astraea gets the mage gene from him.




End file.
